Ep 155: Must-see movies and docs - Girls On Film live at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

Let us transport you to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2023, where Girls On Film recorded an episode with an audience of festival goers. Host Anna Smith is joined by critics and filmmakers who are full of film recommendations, as well as thought-provoking and poignant conversation.

First to join Anna are critics Wendy Ide and Marya E Gates, who speak about which films they’ve loved, and the strong array of female-focused films playing at KVIFF. They review La Chimera, starring Josh O'Connor and Isabella Rossellini. Marya talks about Georgian film Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry, and both of them discuss the ‘hot-topic’ Past Lives, that has been capturing the attention of film lovers since its debut in Sundance earlier this year.

Next, Anna welcomes Myriam Sassine, producer of Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano, a Lebanese documentary that tells the story of a film crew navigating making a feature in the aftermath of the Beirut explosion in August 2020. Myriam discusses the challenges she faced whilst producing the film, as well as explaining the connections she established with the survivors in the filmmaking process.

Our last guests are producer Elaheh Nobakht and director Negin Ahmadi, whose film Dream’s Gate tells the personal journey of Negin as she enters the war zone in North Syria, along with a group of young women who are determined to fight back. Elaheh, who translates for Negin, explains the importance of portraying women’s stories in her films and how this personal reflection highlights the moments of joy within the conflict. Elaheh also speaks about her experience as an independent Iranian producer.

This episode is sponsored by Magnum.

Films mentioned in this episode include:

La Chimera
Past Lives (UK release 8 September 2023)
The Girls Are Alright
Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry
My Happy Family
A Room of My Own (available to stream on Klassiki)
The Mother of all Lies
Slow
Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano
Costa Brava, Lebanon (available on Netflix)
Dream’s Gate
Inside the Yellow Cocoon
Anatomy of a Fall
In Camera

Find out more about KVIFF here: www.kviff.com

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www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z
Girls On Film is an HLA production.

Host: Anna Smith.
Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold
Audio Producer: Emma Butt
Assistant Producer: Eleanor Hardy
House band: MX Tyrants